Garden Therapy

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Black Gold is one of the best potting soils that we carry and use here in the nursery.

Silicon is naturally occurring and is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, so all plants may take up silicon from the soil.Even caliche has silicon in it. Not to be confused with silicone, the product we make cooking utensils with, silicon helps plants build strong cell walls. Stronger cell walls mean thicker stems, healthier rootsystems, less water loss and increased drought tolerance. Just over all tougher plants. It has always been in the dirt but not in potting soil.

What are the benefits of Resilience-enhanced mixes?

Time and time again, research at Universities, in commercial grower trials and at the Sun Gro Discovery Center, supports significant and dramatic positive results with Resilience. Trials have shown that plants grown in silicon-enriched mixes have the following advantages:

Better root growth for increased nutrient uptake and support

Earlier flowering for more attractive plants, faster

Increased stem diameter for stronger plants and reduced breakage

Longer time before wilt for increased shelf life

I have been using Black Gold for years! Flowers love it and last longer into the summer than usual. Tomatoes and pepper grow faster and produce more than I know what to do with. My yellow pear tomato got 4' tall and was loaded with tomatoes all summer in full sun! I was even nice enough to share with the birds!

We carry black gold in several different types, the All-Purpose Potting Soil, Natural and Organic. Stop in for soil today and pick up a coupon for a 3$ back mail in rebate!

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Dang rabbits are destroying my garden. All of my broccoli and Brussels sprouts are eaten down to nothing and same with my radish greens. I'm not quite sure what I should do to keep them out. I think I will end up going with chicken wire even though that is probably the ugliest thing I could do. But my poor babies are being eaten to nothing.

Aside from the damage from the bunnies, the garden is doing really well this year. The Happy Frog garden seems to be growing faster than the Compost Cats which is still doing very well.

We have already harvested a bunch of radishes. I am a little disappointed in the carrots this year as they haven't done anything in the 2 months they have been planted. Hopefully, they will start to pick up as we really start to cool down.

I have planted a new baby in the garden that will hopefully have a much happier life than it did last year. An artichoke!

This year I am going to try to add beneficial nematodes to the garden to kill any of the soil larvae of cut worms and grubs. If you would like to know more about using beneficial nematodes in your home garden message me and I would be happy to add you to our monthly newsletter email list where there is a write up about them!

Friday, October 21, 2016

While typing the title I may or may not have been singing "Money Money Money in a rich man's world" from ABBA. Oops.

Anyway back on topic. I have enjoyed and shared the first of the radishes with my customers. They had a great crisp bite to them. I love how fast radishes are ready you can just keep planting and replanting as they pop their little shoulders out.

I am slightly disappointed with the Compost Cat's as more veggie seeds are popping up that I didn't plant. I am going to have to keep on top of the weeding. Other than that it has proven it's self a worthy competitor of the Happy Frog. Both garden beds have been fertilized with the Maxsea Acid 14-18-14 with iron and zinc this week and are just now starting to show signs of happy results.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Everything in my veggie beds are doing so great! Radish greens are looking beautiful and the little lettuce babies are starting to pop up.

My compost test is doing great! I am placing an order to carry the Compost Cats.
One little thing I have noticed is that since the compost is made from produce that would have gone to the land fill there are little tomatoes popping up all though out the bed. I believe there may have been some seeds in there. That is the only thing I don't really like but everything else about the soil is great!

The Happy Frog Garden is doing very well as usual. I will begin fertilizing next week and see how everything responds to the Maxsea Acid fertilizer I give it. Maxsea is a great brand that is a seaweed based fertilizer, as well as containing all the micronutrients that plants here in our climate need.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

As many of you are aware we call our water here liquid gold. What about our soil?
Black Gold.
Black Gold is a great potting soil for anything here in the desert. It comes in both an All purpose and cactus mix. My mom and I have been using Black Gold in our pots for as long as I can remember.

We have a special rebate program to share with you!

When making your purchase just remind the cashier about the rebate. There is a limit of $9 back per household so stock up now on your Black Gold!

This fall garden we will be doing a little differently. We have a new compost we are going to try.
Compost Cats is a great student run organization based out of the University of Arizona. They make their compost from "Zoo Doo" which is animal waste from the Reid Park Zoo, as well as produce from grocery stores that would have gone to the land fill.

This picture is of our North Garden bed that has been tilled with the Happy Frog Soil Conditioner which is what I normally use in the garden beds twice a year. In this bed I have planted: celery, carrots, radishes, peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. They are already germinating and looking yummy.

The South Garden bed has been tilled with the Compost Cats and was just planted yesterday with :kohlrabi, scallions, carrots, radishes, and a large variety of lettuce. The compost was much softer and fluffier than the Happy Frog. I am excited to see what this will do for us this year. I am going to be posting updates every Tuesday on our Facebook page as well as the blog!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Recently I took a trip to California to pick up some very special passengers. The tropical Plumeria. I brought one that is very special to me back with us. The rare dark burgundy plumeria. Usually you will find the most popular Yellow and white. Well my grower only had five and he was willing to give me one with the bundle I bought. And that little lovely came home to live with me.

Plumerias are a very popular plant because of their sweet smelling colorful flowers and attractive form.

In Hawaii, the plumeria has become part of the culture and is used to make the leinecklaces used incelebrations. Although they are thought of as tropical, plumerias can handle asubtropical climate because they go dormant, shedding their leaves, when the weather gets cool.

They can tolerate temperatures down to freezing and possibly a little cooler for very short periods of time. Plumerias prefer being planted in a pot to allow it to be brought in and protected in freezing temperatures.Given a goodmicroclimate, plumerias do very well in Tucson.

In spring and fall when the weather is nice put it in full sun. The more full sun it gets during nice months the more it will flower. Plumerias can take a couple of summers to start flowering. When moving the plant to a site to get more sun, the leaves will sunburn some. This is normal. Newer leaves emerging will be more adapted to the new light conditions.

In the summer, when temperatures are over 100 degrees, keep your plumeria on a covered patio, on the east side or south side of your house. Place it near the edge of the patio so that it gets lots of indirect light, but is shielded from direct sun overhead. In the middle of summer, an east facing patio will give the plant direct sun before noon, and a south facing patio puts the plant in the shade all day, because the sun is so high. If your plumeria continues to burn from the sun, not just during transition to a lighter spot, move it deeper into thepatio to give it more shade. In mid summer, flowers will last longer in the shade as well.

Plumerias like to dry out between watering, number one way to kill a plumeria is by over watering. If planted in a large pot water maybe once a week, however, daily or every other day spray the leaves with water to help keep pests such as spider mites off.

Plumerias like an acidic fertilizer only during the growing months ( March-October). Here in the nursery I use a Maxsea Acid 14-18-14 plus Iron and Zinc. I use this once a month to help keeps blooms on longer and keep the micronutrients in the plant.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Wow! Have I been MIA. We have been having one busy spring! I have gotten behind in everything. Sadly cut worms have taken the life of my lovely Artichoke plant. The garden must go on though! I have retiled the garden beds and added Happy Frog Soil Conditioner and potting soil. and planted with seeds. I have cantaloupes with a little baby melon on it. Watermelons growing like crazy. Beans, okra, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers, and my onions are still plugging along.

My little lemon tree is blooming again! This is the 3rd time it has bloomed. It must be happy. I have also adopted a few more plant babies... I have a dwarf little peach, and a strawberry mint. That's right. Can anyone say strawberry mint mojitos!?
I am very excited for all this spring and summer have to offer.

Friday, February 5, 2016

I for one am beyond ready for these cold nights to be done! And I believe we are! The long term forecast looks beautiful and everything is blooming like crazy! Lets take a walk around the garden here!

The variegated pink lemon fruit has set! Doesn't it look amazing! I love the stripes on the fruit as well as on the leaves. I am so excited for this little guy to be ready to eat! I have never tasted them but I have heard so many great things about them!

A little bee pollinizing the first Apple blossom of the year! Up towards to top of the picture is the new growth coming out! The apples are budding with leaves and flowers! Soon to be covered with our little garden friends the bees and hummingbirds. The Butterflies should be arriving soon! The milkweed and dill are growing like crazy to prepare for the little munchers to feed on them!

The tomatoes are blooming! I guess that means it really is warm enough for Spring Gardening! YAY! This is a picture of the Early Girl bloom. She sure is early and that's okay, just means I can make my pasta salad sooner!